Colin Cowherd says Jadeveon Clowney is overrated without a championship

Posted by: Chris Vannini on Wednesday August 28, 2013

Colin Cowherd often has some wild opinions, but this latest one might take the cake.

Cowherd believes that the hit against Michigan in the Outback Bowl has caused people to overvalue Clowney. Because Clowney has never won the SEC East at South Carolina, Cowherd would not pick him No. 1 in the NFL, opting for Teddy Bridgewater.

Never mind the fact that South Carolina has defeated division-champion Georgia in the past two seasons, but lost the division in part due to a tougher schedule. With many scouts considering Clowney a once-in-a-decade prospect, Cowherd’s take is stunning.

“Jadeveon Clowney is now a 4/1 Heisman guy from 12/1. Love him and everything,” Cowherd said on The Herd. “I’ll throw a theory out: One great hit is still one great hit. It’s fantastic. I thought somebody’s head came off, but it has jumped the shark. Now we’ve got him No. 1 over a quality quarterback. Mario Williams didn’t win any big games for Houston (Texans). I love Clowney. Are we overstating his value as a football player? No. 1 draft pick. He can’t win his own division in the SEC.”

Ryen Russillo and Scott Van Pelt, who were in studio with Cowherd, called him out on it.

“That’s the worst argument you’ve made,” Russillo said. “Because he can’t win the division, you’re not going to take him No. 1 as an NFL team? Do you know how dumb that is? It’s ridiculous. So Clowney, because he hasn’t won the east, you’d take Teddy Bridgewater?”

Not to overstate things, it was a friendly discussion. But Cowherd stuck to his stance.

“If you can’t win your college division, I’m not picking you No. 1,” he said.

Van Pelt knows that people are sick of seeing the Outback Bowl play, so during the pregame leading up to South Carolina-North Carolina, they’re going to go more in-depth on Clowney.

“If the hit is what bugs you, I’m going down to South Carolina tomorrow doing College Football Live down there,” Van Pelt said. “We’re going to do the pregame leading into the game. I said, ‘Look, everybody’s sick of that one hit against Michigan. Here’s what I want you to do,’ and we’re going to do it. We’re going to show you the video when he was in high school playing fullback and he ran 99 yards with eight people hanging on his back.

“For people that have been following football, you’ve known that Clowney is a freak for a long time. He’s going to be the first pick, not because of that hit, but because he’s the best football player in America.”

Chris Vannini is in his fifth year with CoachingSearch.com and serves as its managing editor. He has previously written for the Detroit Free Press, The Oakland Press, The State News, MLive.com, 247Sports and SB Nation. A graduate of Michigan State University, Chris now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Be sure to follow @coachingsearch and send emails to chris@coachingsearch.com.